Piper Jackman

Piper’s obsession with Greek mythology started at a very young age. In her first grade journal, she wrote about the Greek gods and goddesses whenever she could. In high school she excelled in Latin and Ancient Greek classes. When she started at Yale, Piper jumped at the chance to take directed studies, a program that studies foundational works of the western canon in literature, philosophy, and historical and political thought. As a part of that program, her passions and interest grew and she discovered the significance of Greek mythology to modern European culture and intellectual thought. Following her freshman year of college, Piper spent the summer in Venice Italy studying its fascinating art history. She fell in love with art and the ways art represented society at large. She has gone on to study representations of Greek mythology throughout European art, taking classes on the Italian Renaissance, 19th century European scultpure, French painting, and more.

Now a senior, Piper is researching representations of Greek mythology in 19th century British painting. She is interested in how this period used the stories of these Greek mythological figures to reflect aspects of their own societies. For her research, she is taking a deep dive into the artistic culture of London in the late 19th century and specifically exploring Herbert Draper’s painting, The Lament for Icarus. She is researching the traditions of mythological representations in European art that this time period was building on. Her final project will offer a comprehensive understanding of the Greek mythology in the European artistic tradition.

Department: Humanities